Letters To The Editor: Editorial Treated War as Afterthought
Editorial Treated War as Afterthought
Editor, Times-Dispatch: In your lead editorial, "Civic Spirit: History, Arts, Sports," you made the excellent point that Richmond's unparalleled array of cultural attractions has us well-placed in the major league of cities and distinguishes us far more than minor-league baseball. And, much to your credit, you proceed to list many of the city's greatest attractions.
But your mention of the Civil War seems almost an afterthought. In his great book on Richmond, your predecessor, Virginius Dabney, wrote that if Richmond ever loses its mystique as the Capital of the Confederacy, it "will be just another city." (Think minor-league baseball.)
Richmond's top draws for outsiders continue to be Monument Avenue and the Museum of the Confederacy. Recently I edited an article written for the Sydney, Australia, newspaper about a trip to our museum, written by the former prime minister of New South Wales. Then I hosted two museum members from California who are bringing people from China to help them understand the American experience. I will wrap up my day hosting John Bruton, the former prime minister of Ireland and current ambassador to the U.S. from the European Union.
Richmonders, including you, should recognize the very special Civil War assets that we have here and what they do for the city, rather than relegating them to a post-script. S. Waite Rawls, President and CEO, Museum of the Confederacy.
Richmond.
Good Americans Will Forego the Gas Guzzler
Editor, Times-Dispatch: Most of us have set ideas about a lot of things. Anything different from what has been generally accepted goes against the grain and is resisted or dismissed as unworthy of serious consideration. For example, how about our love for big, fancy, and fast cars? We are somebody if we have one or more of these. A plainer, fuel-efficient car with a little less pickup just doesn't cut it with us. Only when fuel prices spike and stay up there a while do some of us opt away from the flashy, road-domination gas guzzlers that we have been brought up to admire.
What does this mean to us as Americans? First, increased dependence on foreign oil (purchased from countries that don't like us or are in political turmoil). Second, worse air pollution and road congestion in heavily populated areas. Third, a bigger bite out of our pockets for status-symbol, low-mileage vehicles with all the bells and whistles we can put on them.
The patriotic thing to do is to buy a car that satisfies our needs but not all our wants. Do my fellow citizens want to do what is good for our country?
One further note about breaking out of our old ways for the sake of our country: Those who can would do well to park near entrances in parking lots and walk to where they are going to do business (and this includes fast-food shops). Not only will this save precious fuel but also burn calories to help fight obesity.
I want our homeland to get better. All of us are accountable to make it happen.
Neal C. Wallace.
Quinton.
Clean Energy Must Be Virginia's Future
Editor, Times-Dispatch: As the president of a local green business, I represent the future of Virginia. The heads of Dominion, American Electric Power (AEP), and Duke Energy, who authored the June 7 Commentary column, "Virginian Leads Sensible Climate Change Efforts," represent the Virginia of the past.
I agree with them on one thing: Rep. Rick Boucher has played a pivotal role in crafting the federal clean energy bill. The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 could create millions of green jobs, boost clean energy production, and limit global warming pollution. Yet Boucher worked alongside Dominion, Duke Energy, and AEP to gut some of the bill's most important provisions.
As the president of a company that designs and installs solar energy systems, I can assure you that a strong bill could create thousands of green jobs in Virginia. The resources here for solar energy collection are tremendous. Imagine: With the help of a solar system on your roof, your meter could actually run backwards -- your house can pay your utility bill. All we need is some investment on the federal level to help get the technology off the ground.
Instead of strong renewable-energy goals, the bill now includes billions of dollars of handouts to the coal and oil industries. Thanks to Boucher's negotiations, half of all the permits to pollute will be given away directly to the fossil-fuel industry. These giveaways will be made at the expense of working families, according to the EPA.
This dependence on traditional energy, promoted by Dominion, Duke Energy, AEP, and Boucher, weakens our economy by keeping us on a track to use unsustainable fuels as the foundation of our economy. It is time for Virginia and the nation to get serious about clean energy and pass a stronger clean energy bill. Kent Baake. Alexandria.
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In my opinion, this is why people drive SUVs:
#1. They NEED them! When you have to truck around three or four kids, plus maybe a few of their friends and possibly some soccer or baseball equipment, a Prius just won’t cut it.
#2. They are safe. When you are driving along on a highway at 60 MOH, and an 18 wheeler pulls up next to you, would you rather be in an Explorer or something like Honda’s teeny Insight? And especially since you will likely have your kids in the back, it isn’t even a contest.
#3. Yes, they are a status symbol. People want to show off. It is human nature and you can’t get around it.
So when you can afford to drive an SUV, you want to drive an SUV, you need to drive an SUV, are you going to be deterred by Al Gore squawking that the world is going to end because you drive a big car? Yeah right!
@Blackbird: Okay, so we all drive little cars… including the freight haulers… Care to think about the prices of everything when it takes a caravan of twenty cars to do the job of one tractor trailer?
Maybe a little hybrid is unsafe..because there are big huge SUV’s surrounding it?
What if we all drove smaller cars?
I would love to drive one of the mini-Coopers but…I am afraid, so I have settled for a compact car. Maybe the Mini-Cooper drivers think my car is too big?
But you bring up a good point, do people drive SUV’s for safety? Are they really safer? I remembering hearing about the tire blowouts and flipping and stuff like that and could never get over that. But that must be why people drive SUV’s , that and the space issue. I would like to see a survey for SUV’s and then a survey for why people drive smaller cars.
Mr. Wallace: How is it your business what kind of car people buy? Who do you think you are, presuming that you know better than everybody else? You state that people need to “buy a car that satisfies our needs but not all our wants.“ Well, what do we really, really need? Air, water, food, and shelter. Everything else is superfluous. Is a TV necessary for life? No. How about the Internet? No. A car? No. Do we WANT these things? Heck yeah! But they aren’t necessary.
ALso, people have different definitions of “better.“ If your definition of “better” involves little unsafe golf carts (also know as “hybrids”) putt-putting down the highways instead of cars that people can actually use, well, that sure isn’t my definition.
A regulatory body that also administers a health care plan that doesn’t have to make a profit in an otherwise competitive environment - none of you see the conflict of interest? None of you see the problem for people who like their existing plan?
Is administering a health care program a duty assigned by the constitution? Keeping in mind that the constitution limits the power of government and is not a plan for government growth, none of you see the problem with going this route?
Is it possible that some of you guys who are out of work AND are dissatisfied with your health care might recognize an opportunity to start your own health care program by pooling your resources and getting investors to cover the people who can’t or won’t pay into a health care program?
Thetruth believes it’s a genius, maybe it could be the CEO - you know, it could stop griping and build a health care company by bootstrapping instead of blathering about how bad things are. Studebaker - do a quick search, who was it who said, “Where there’s chaos, there’s opportunity”? I won’t ask you for a point of view on that as I recognize your forte is posting historical sniglets and quotes from other people.
Look guys, if you are that unhappy with the health care system, leverage your dissatisfaction and meet the need you claim so many people have - you’d make millions and billions of dollars - unless the government undercuts you in the market - that would be bad. Yeah, I know what the biggest problem you’d have doing something yourself - the government.
Seriously, you guys ought to exchange addresses and see if you can fix the problem without the government’s involvement.
“But in reality…I don’t think either of us trust either of them….we would rather do it ourselves..there are some things we CAN’T DO OURSELVES because the task it too large. And there are some things Big Business WON’T DO…it’s not their responsibility. So this is where I believe Government belongs in general.” Posted by ( Blackbird )
Blackbird. You’ve hit the nail squarely on the head.
In our current situation, politicians will do the bidding of citizens, lobbyists or business—whichever is most powerful. Business, especially big business is beholden to MAMMON.
The scenario as I see it is Big Businesses has gained influenced over elected officials relative to the citizenry & at the same time they weaken the bonds of loyalty between the government and citizens by fostering (via whisper campaigns, infotainment media…) the notion that the government is on the PUBLIC’S back, that government IS THE problem, and so on. Meanwhile, Big Business’ hired lobbyists’ are busy writing legislation to order & sabotaging areas of government that are meant to protect the public & promote what is good for the Country at large as opposed to special interests. Thus the public is neutralized as a viable political entity and, often serve as proxies on behalf of international corporations. In the end the situation comes down to government, corporations & the citizenry all working against the public!
Sort of like the Wizard of Oz: “Pay no attention to the Man behind the curtain!”
I don’t see much hope for us. The bottom line is that “We the People” are responsible for this mess. “We the People” allowed it to happen; and, personally, I think it is too late. Americans really do not want “freedom”; they want to be left alone (and complain about the government it seems). Americans, for the most part, haven’t the foggiest clue as to what liberty—what freedom means.
Some folks on this discussion group might want to take a little survey for themselves—as you go about your day & chat with friends & colleagues, ask them to define freedom & Patriotism. Ask what “Liberty & Justice” means.
I’ve more to say; but I am tired and need to get some rest
CUL Studebaker
If one does not think for one’s self one does not think.
“Your parents and my parents are from the same generation. My parents taught me not to envy, begrudge or attempt to penalize the wealthy for their riches, nor look upon the poor with contempt. They also taught me not to get on the government dole because it was there for extreme circumstances. They taught me to “earn it” not “eat at the trough”. I’ve held a job since I was 14 years old.” Posted by ( Randy )
Randy, all of us have been “eat[ing] at the trough” of yesterday’s economy—but none more than the top-feeders who want to squeeze every last $ from the status quo. From the 1930s-70s American people, business and government worked together to build a better world & put a man on the moon to boot! Since the 80s our economic policies have drifted more and more to subsidizing well-connected, firmly established & largely inert oil-based business.
Our current business elite are 21st century luddites. Let’s face it controlling a commodity like petroleum is easy, steady, money—especially when one can depend on a taxpayer funded, working class, armed forces to help keep that “black gold” flowing. Not to mention a congress that allows lobbyists to write legislation-to-order for business. We need to move forward again as one nation, like our parents did.
I too, just like most people I know, was taught by my parents “not to envy” & not to “begrudge” people for being “wealthy.” Like you, and most people I know, I’ve held one job or another since my early teens. I am not aware of any “attempt” in the history of our republic “to penalize the wealthy for their riches.” Actually, “during the lifetime of our parent’s generation” taxes on dollars of income over the “top bracket” were generally higher than under “the current tax system.”
TOP US MARGINAL INCOME TAX RATES, 1913—2003:
http://www.truthandpolitics.org/top-rates.php
These rates were promoted by Republicans & Democrats & paid for World War II, the GI Bill, & all of the federally funded scientific research from which individuals & have made fortunes. Given the fact that we have a war to pay for, “the current tax system is not fair at all as it” exempts the “small percentage of the population” taxes on dollars of income over the “top bracket” that happen to control 30 or 40% of the nation’s wealth. (not sure of exact figures). Randy, do you actually think it unfair to require that small percentage that have the wherewithal to do so, help pay down the war debt? I wonder what percent of the top 10%, 5%, 2% & 1% wealthiest Americans have served in Iraq? I would hope that they would be honored to pledge and extra 5% on income over $250,000 per year to pay down the war debt. I hear a lot of casual talk about “the wealthy being penalized for being successful,” but not so much talk of wealthy “patriots” pulling together to pay off our war debt. I wonder why?
“You recalled our parent’s generation - did they spend money like this? No. They worked hard so we’d have a better life…” Posted by ( Randy )
My parents spent their money raising 5 kids. My parents’ generation, as American citizens, spent money to build a future for their country & its people. They spent a lot, not beyond the means of their generation. The stuck to traditional free markets principals & progressive tax structures: “…subjects of every state ought to contribute towards the support of the government, as nearly as possible, in proportion to their respective abilities; that is, in proportion to the revenue which they respectively enjoy under the protection of the state.” [A. Smith] Since the 80s we’ve adopted an extreme “libertarian” interpretation of free market capitalism by cutting top marginal tax rates. We need to adjust those top rates according to expenditures—especially when it comes to paying off borrowed dollars for wars in which so many have died.
“Is it possible that we could enjoy you’re unfiltered opinion on ISSUES without you having to provide quotes of other people’s perspectives?” Just curious, I’d like to know what YOU think about issues, not what you think about me or what Bill Gates has to say about something. I’ve read his stuff, I’ve got Adam Smith and I think for myself - let’s see if you think for yourself. Put it out there studebaker!! Posted by ( Randy )
I use quotes in response to inaccurate or incomplete claims you make regarding specific topics. I cite quotations of individuals who are authorities on the given topic. You mentioned Bill Gates & wealthy athletes, I assumed you had an opinion and wanted to know what I thought. I obliged.
My posts are often “quote heavy”, so as to provide information on topics we are discussing. I do my best give accurate information with verifiable citation. If you read thru my postings, you will see that some contain more of my own text; AND, that what Studebaker thinks is already “out there.”
I am ALWAYS thinking. CUL Studebaker
PS One that does not think for one’s self does not think.
Randy
Good comments in the post that started
with
“Your parents and my parents are from the same generation…“
I agree with what you said there.
Anyway, it seems to come down to who you trust….it seems (you can disagree if you want..) that YOU trust
Big Business and it seems (I can disagree if I want..) that I trust
Big Government….
But in reality…I don’t think either of us trust either of them….we would rather do it ourselves..
But I believe there are some things we CAN’T DO OURSELVES because the task it too large. And there are some things Big Business WON’T DO…it’s not their responsibility. So this is where I believe Government belongs in general.
You can debate the individual cases of
health care, energy, education, defense; they all have different parameters, different history and differnt levels of interaction between business, government and individuals…so it’s hard to be generalized about the specific role.
I don’t see much difference between government running things or corporations running things…to me they both have levels of coruption and skewed outcomes that favor certain groups of people. But the good thing is that both of these organization can accomplish more then the individual, the bad thing is that they also can run over the individual ..and create a bland homogeneous society that takes everything for granted, and what is not granted is somehow gained through coruption. Sad.
I do believe it would be best for our country, and therefore our state, our
county, our city, our neigborhood, our streets, my relatives, and me if we all
had some kind of health care. Because Health Care can affect us all even if it’s not our “fault”. If someone doesn’t get good health care they are not going to a productive citizen and may be sick and not be able to work any more, so will end up on some kind of welfare, or go bankrupt..that doesn’t help anything. I do believe like many , many people talking about health care there is alot of waste in the way paperwork and insurance works. I get stupid bills and “this is not a bill” statements everytime I visit a doctor.
There seems to be alot of waste in this kind of “communication” and alot of time is spent by companies also creating reasons to deny claims. I just think if this waste and “runaround” was reduced and eliminated it would help pay for those without insurance….in other words the cost of “run arounds” is more then the cost of just facing every claim with honest treatments. I could be wrong…but at least it sounds good, and maybe it’s worth trying.
Studebaker: Wow - I’m doing surprisingly well in business, even in this economy, for someone who doesn’t understand how things work - but, thank you for your assessment - it was very entertaining and as wild guesses go, it was about as accurate as a wild guess.
So, you trust the government? You trust politicians beholden to lobbyists and special interest groups like ACORN to do the right thing? You trust Barack Obama to manage the Census from the White House? You have no problem with the invasive questions the census asks? You trust a Senate who can’t even run their own cafeteria in the black to properly regulate business? You trust politicians, who are mostly lawyers by trade, to do the right thing with their existing track record on Medicaid, Medicare, social security, cap & trade, welfare and unemployment? You trust a government who has over reached it’s constitutional authority to properly manage the private sector?
You know, you’re very good at making assessments of what you think of other people, but, when it comes to taking a stand yourself on a given issue, you tend to use quotes and thoughts by other people. Let’s hear YOUR thoughts and opinions on some issues. C’mon take a stand with your own words. Is it humanly possible for you to say:
“I hate big government” and give a few of your own reasons why? Is it possible you could say, “I love big government” and give a few reasons why. Is it possible that we could enjoy you’re unfiltered opinion on ISSUES without you having to provide quotes of other people’s perspectives?
Just curious, I’d like to know what YOU think about issues, not what you think about me or what Bill Gates has to say about something. I’ve read his stuff, I’ve got Adam Smith and I think for myself - let’s see if you think for yourself. Put it out there studebaker!!
“Studebaker/Blackbird: How much money that I have earned do you believe I owe you to subsidize your life? Without a lecture, an ad hominem attack, a philosophy monologue and a long winded history lesson, do give me a straightforward answer to that. I’ll repeat the question: How much money, that I have earned, do you believe I owe you to subsidize your life? Please do tell me how you arrived at that figure and why you think I owe you the money.” Posted by ( Randy ).
Randy, I’m not attacking you; but I am taking you to task for what you post—I think you realize that. You don’t owe me anything—never said you did. I am not asking you to subsidize my life. I’m very well off, as I indicated in the earlier post. My concern is about my country and its people. You & I each owe a lot to our country & as Mr. Gates (and Adam Smith) pointed out “People with large wealth ... have a special obligation to the society in which they grew up, Anybody who thinks they’re so great they did it on their own should be exiled to West Africa.“
Sorry to sound like a schoolmarm, Randy, but as far as I can tell from your postings, I can only conclude that you do not understand the workings of business & government in society. Reading your posts in recent weeks has led me to suspect that you perceive business & government to be, by definition, adversaries & mutually exclusive entities, with government being an aggressor: that is to say that any involvement of government in business can only result in a loss for business. As an individual you seem to self-identify with your perception of business as being besieged by a hostile government. Perceiving the world largely in terms of a persecuted self-business entity fosters the adoption of an aggrieved mind-set, vis-à-vis one’s duty as an American citizen—hence the delusion: “How much money, that I have earned, do you believe I owe you to subsidize your life?”
A government cannot “out-business” private sector business; but a private sector cannot “run ANYTHING” in the absence of government. Free Enterprise cannot exist outside the restraining influence of a democratic Rule of Law. The truth is that the forum we are now using (the internet) would not exist were it not for the taxpayer-funded federal spending on semiconductor, computer & telecom research. Billions have been made off of the internet which is lock, stock & barrel a federal government creation.
We have a war to pay for and a new world to build which the private sector cannot do on its own. Just like the Marshall Plan of the post WW II era, America has a second chance to save the world—if we let the Fat Cats off the hook, America will fail.
Mr. Gates is absolutely correct. So I repost his words:
Things like the Internet, jet engines, the human genome, all of those wonderful scientific things that are generating very significant, very successful businesses of one kind and another. And all of those things, all of those things are a product of research financed by the federal government and made available to business essentially at no cost.
Here is what really is happening is that those of us who are participating in this wonderful American economy and enjoying the fruits of this new technology, as I say, all of these fundamental elements of economic life in our country, all of us enjoying those have an indebtedness to the federal government for having made it possible. There would be no Internet, no jet engines, no human genome projects. All of these things are created by the $90 billion or so in dollars that the United States spends every year on research creating these opportunities for people.
So, you know people say death tax — fooey!. This is a tax on grateful heirs. This is a tax which is basically a “due bill”, a “due bill” to those of us who have had the good fortune to be successful financially in this country, to pay back some part of it to the society that made it possible. –Bill Gates Sr.
RANDY, I’m glad you mentioned the Gates’ family.
“People with large wealth ... have a special obligation to the society in which they grew up,“ Gates said. “Anybody who thinks they’re so great they did it on their own should be exiled to West Africa.“ ***
“- that’s funny, but, the wealthiest people, like Bill Gates et al are extremely charitable as are highly paid athletes - there money goes straight to their cause without passing through government so it can “get it’s cut”. Posted by ( Randy )
BILL GATES SR. ESTATE TAX FARMERS: http://www.responsiblewealth.org/press/rwnews/2003/Gates_NFU_Congress_Daily.html
Gates emphasized that the estate tax applies only to the richest 2 percent of the population. Gates also said he believes U.S. laws and government-sponsored institutions such as universities and research facilities have created conditions for individuals to become richer in the United States than elsewhere. “People with large wealth ... have a special obligation to the society in which they grew up,“ Gates said. “Anybody who thinks they’re so great they did it on their own should be exiled to West Africa.“
INTERVIEW:GATES,SR.ESTATE TAX: http://results.techriver.net/website/article.asp?id=2172
Things like the Internet, jet engines, the human genome, all of those wonderful scientific things that are generating very significant, very successful businesses of one kind and another. And all of those things, all of those things are a product of research financed by the federal government and made available to business essentially at no cost.
Here is what really is happening is that those of us who are participating in this wonderful American economy and enjoying the fruits of this new technology, as I say, all of these fundamental elements of economic life in our country, all of us enjoying those have an indebtedness to the federal government for having made it possible. There would be no Internet, no jet engines, no human genome projects. All of these things are created by the $90 billion or so in dollars that the United States spends every year on research creating these opportunities for people.
So, you know people say death tax — fooey!. This is a tax on grateful heirs. This is a tax which is basically a “due bill”, a “due bill” to those of us who have had the good fortune to be successful financially in this country, to pay back some part of it to the society that made it possible.
FAMIL FARMS: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1107/6856.html
“Family farmers and ranchers are insulted by those who use farmers as the reason for eliminating estate taxes, when the real beneficiaries are the nation’s multimillionaires.” Tom Buis, presiden, National Farmers Union.
RANDY: This is what the LORD says:
AMOS 2:6 This is what the LORD says: “For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not turn back {my wrath}.They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals.
AMOS 8:3-7
“In that day,“ declares the Sovereign LORD, “the songs in the temple will turn to wailing. Many, many bodies—flung everywhere!Silence!“ Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land, saying,“When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?“—skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales,buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat. The LORD has sworn by the Pride of Jacob: “I will never forget anything they have done.”
Malachi 3:5 ‘“So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me,“ says the LORD Almighty.
Gen 4:9 ‘Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?“ “I don’t know,“ he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?“’
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